All muffins recipes

#1 100% chocolate muffin

source : Figaro cookbook

#2 Cranberries and nut muffin

source :Cook's Illustrated

#2 Banana and chocolate muffin

source :Cook's Illustrated

#3 Lemon scented, Blueberry muffin

Marbled cake

I've done all the recipes from Vovoi's book, at least, those working :) I'm back in my cookbooks !

"Exquises pâtisseries pour les Fêtes" de Christophe Felder, 

Choice was rather hard, because all the recipes seem delicious... My first pick is the marbled cake chocolate & vanilla.

I've done this one for a few years now, it must figure on my blog.

To be sure I haven't changed anything in the recipe since I've been using it, I've checked everything one more time. I hadn't changed a thing !

As good as usual, I can eat humongous piece of it !

- Creamcheese and chocolate icing -

For 1 big cake, or 2 middle sized cake (8inch by 4)

  You will need :   

for the batter

2 eggs

2cup and 1tbsp of flour (9.7 oz / 275gr)

6.1 oz of unsalted, softened butter (16tbsp / 175gr)

- sout of the fridge 1hour in advance -

1 cup 1/2 granulated sugar (13.2 oz / 375gr )

8.5 fl.oz  half & half (25cL)

1tsp of baking powder (0.2 oz/5gr)

3/4tsp  salt

flavours

4tsp unsweetened cocoa (0.9oz/25gr) de cacao amer en poudre

1tbsp vanilla extract

Turn your oven on at 375°C

In his recipe, Christophe Felder says to mix everything in a robot with a tool for working dough...

I don't have any, so here is what I've done :

Stir by hand, with a wooden spoon doing fluid but quick moves, rising the dough. the butter with sugar and salt to have a creamy batter

Add the eggs and stir until homogeneous

Finally stir in the flour with the baking powder

You have a soft and homogeneous batter

Divide it in two equal halves, in the first one, whisk in the cocoa.

In the other one, whisk in the vanilla

Use a whisk or a spatula by doing quick moves : cut and rise the batterMélangez au fouet ou par mouvement rapide en coupant/soulevant avec une spatule

Butter and flour your cakepan

- Christophe Felder says to spread melted butter on it and cover them with a parchment paper -

Start by pouring a thin layer with the cocoa batter (1/2inch) Do the same with the vanilla one etc...

Don't go further than 2/3 of your cakepan, it will rise a lot during baking :)

Bake it 40 minutes, without opening the oven. Depending on your cakepan, it often goes to 50 minutes.

Check the cooking by inserting a pick or a clean smooth knife in the center, 

if it comes out clean, it's baked !

Let it cool down at room temperature before turning out.

Christophe Felder gives the recipe for a chocolate icing made of "vegetaline" since I don't have any and I don't even know where to buy it in California, I will explain a Chocolate & creamcheese icing.

Chocolate & creamcheese icing

   You will need :   

1oz unsweetened chocolate

0.75 oz unsweetened cocoa

2.8 oz creamcheese

3.5oz powdered sugar

2tsp vanilla extract

3tbsp half & half  or water

2 pinch of salt

Melt the chocolate in the microwave with 2tbsp of water

Soften the creamcheese with an electric beater for 2 minutes, mix in the cocoa, the vanilla and the melted chocolate at medium speed

Mix in the sugar and the salt little by little, go on medieum/high speed.

Add in some water or half and half to obtain the perfect consistancy 

to spread on the cake.

- so good -

Tarte Tatin - Turnover apple pie

I'm back at my parent's place for Christmas and when I got back, my mom wanted a Tarte Tatin really badly, she had already bought apples and looked through recipes !
We went through more recipes to compare and chose the best way to bake it. It was a nice teamwork.

~~ The result was a bit too good for our bodyline ~~

We looked in "Le Larousse de la cuisine" which is like an encyclopedia about cooking,
all the famous recipe... it's a dictionnary. Then we checked the recipe of Christophe Féron
in Christophe Felder's book : "Exquises Pâtisseries pour les fêtes".
We've also checked the recipe of Guy Savoy... etc.
To conclude, there is many way to proceed. 

Finally we did not pick the easy one,
but the most interesting one.

So we made a mix of those recipes.
Not too much butter, a home made shortcrust dough, vanilla flavoured (or cinnamon)
Baked on the stove and in the oven.

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For 10 people (9inch pie)Pour une tarte tartin d'une dizaine de personne (22cm de diamètre) 

Use a high mold (3inch at least) 
If you have a big pan, that goes in the oven and on the stove, it's fine too.

   You will need :   

1 shortcrust dough flavoured
- vanilla or cinnamon -

5 to 6 apples, depending on their size

- golden, reinettes, boskop, braeburn... a firm one -

 1/3 cup of sugar, white or brown (2.8oz/80gr)

1/2 stick of butter (5tbsp/1.8oz/50gr)

1tbsp of water 

salt
vanilla extract 

cinammon :)

Prepare the shortcrust dough

Make your shortcrust dough with unsalted butter and a pinch of salt

Add 1/2tbsp of vanilla extract stirred in 1/2tbsp of sugar in the water

Allumer le four à 200°C

Prepare the apple

Rinse and peel the apples, cut them in half and remove the seeds

- you can remove the seeds after cutting them if you prefer -

Depending on their size, cut these halves in 3 or 4 slices

- 1 apple is cut in 6 pieces or 8 if it's a big apple 

Pick a mold that goes on the stove and in the oven.
Place it on your stove at low heat, and melt the butter in it. Add the apple in and stir delicately
so they get fully covered of butter.

Leave them 3 to 5 minutes to get buttery and a bit yellowish and remove them from the mold,
they must not cook too much, they are still firm

- some butter is left in the mold, that's good -

Faire un caramel

Pour sugar in the buttered mold, add 1tbsp of water and 1pinch of salt
Put it on high/medium heat to make a caramel (toffee)

Stir with a wooden spoon so it won't burn

It must have a really dark caramel shade and be liquid
Turn off the fire, take the mold in hands > with gloves
and do a circular move so the caramel gets everywhere in the mold
By getting cooler, it gets harder and will stay in place

Place apples

When the caramel is still soft but sticky enough to stop moving,
place the apples as flower petals, close from each other,
press on the mold when placing them to get the caramel going in between.
Start by the outter circle with the biggest slices, then the inner circle.
You have extra apple left, use them in smal pieces to fill in the holes.

- about a half apple is enough -

Spread some cinnamon on the apple if you like it :)

Making the Tatin

Flatten your dough on a floured table, fold it delicately in half, then in 4. Carry it carefully on your apples, folds in the center. Unfold it to cover the pie.
Make the dough stick on the edges toward the apples. Don't use a fork to stab it.

Bake 40 minutes or so.

The dough must be real golden.

Turn out when tepid :)

- afer 15 minutes out of the oven -

Serve tepid with a vanilla ice cream or table cream !

My brother works on his exams, I am working on my basics recipes ;)

Wine tasting near Carmel

During our Thanksgiving trip, we stopped at a few different places that I will talk about in another post.

Christmas is coming and we found that delicate Dessert wine that would go very well with Foie gras or with dessert :)

Let me tell you the story... We were in Carmel, had spent the day wandering in the town (really cute town) and we had found cheese in the cutest listtle shop, that did cheese tasting :-) As french people, we bought a few cheese and decided to have a dinner made of cheese, bread and wine. 

After a long walk, we finally found some bread in a bakery, but we were out of wine. It was already 7pm, dark, cold, and it had started raining. On our way back to the Inn, we passed by "The Bountiful Basket" it seemed cute, cosy and another couple was already in. It was a wine and olive oil shop. 

And they did wine tasting ! So we went in, sat, and did the wine tasting :)

The Bountiful Basket, is a shop/wine tasting place, with a cute wood counter, 

high stools and a really nice atmosphere.

- can't say the same of their website -

The owner was friendly, we didn't learn a lot on the wine itself but on the business. 

So we trusted our guts on the wines.

We had a few reds and whites from Joyce winery, not great ones... and rather expensive ! There was 3 dessert wines, the first one is our favorite, it reminded us of the Sauternes (the foie gras wine, really sweet) his name is Angelica. We were seduced by its frutty taste, but still pretty strong. We could almost drink it with appetizers. So we bought some :)

19% alcohol), they have 4 or 5 different flavors

Its name is PasoPort, they have worked on labels with a designer, I kinda like them... old school :)

We also bought 2 other bottles for gifts, and a bad red wine for our cheese of course.

If you go there, try to avoid the Joyce wines :) 

But if you really love Zinfandel wines, I guess they are ok.

Cookie Therapy

How to feel better : just have a cookie !

   On this post :   

#1 

Cookie "chunk" 

Vanilla, gooey, the perfect cookie

#2 

A monster of a Cookie

chocolate and coffee cookie !

À venir :

#3 Orange and chocolate cookie

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#1

Chocolate chunk Cookie

For 25 to 35 cookies

   You will need :   

1cup of chocolate chip or chocolate chunk (125gr)

1 stick of unsalted butter, softened (110 gr)

- out of the fridge 1h before use -

1cup of flour and 1tbsp (140gr)

1/3 cup of brown sugar (90gr)

1/4 cup of white sugar (60gr)

1 egg

- at room temperature -

1 tsp of vanilla extract

1/2tsp of salt

3/4tsp of baking soda

1 pinch of baking powder

Turn the oven on at 375°F
Put the flour and the baking powder in a bowl.

Stir your softened butter with sugars and salt with a wooden spoon in another bowl
After a few moves, use an electric beater at full speed for 2 minutes.

- if your butter is too hard, put it in a mold a fewminutes in the pre-heating oven to soften ir -

Stir by hand the egg and the vanilla.
Pour the flour with the baking powder and stir until smooth and homogeneous

- 1rst picture : butter and sugars // 2nd picture : after the flour -

Then, stir by hand the chocolate chunk of the chips.
On a tray covered with parchment paper,
do golf-ball size heaps with the batter, 2 inch apart.

- 1rst picture : after addind chocolate // 2nd picture : before putting in the oven -

Bake for 10 to 12 minutes

Let it cool 5 minutes on the tray, then 10 minutes on a grill

ENJOY :) 

They are really good... my husband became addict....

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#2

A monster of a cookie

Chocolare espresso cookie (café)

Mh mh mh a sweetness to go with coffee,

 texture is lighter, less toffee than the previous one. Less butter, less sugar.

For 25 cookies or a monster big cookie cake :)

   you will need :   

1cup 1/2 of chocolate chip (6,1oz / 175gr)

- or dark chocolate chunk -

1.8 oz of unsweetened chocolate, chopped 

1/2 stick of butter 

- out 1 hour before use -

1 cup and 1tbsp of flour 

1/2 cup of brown sugar

2 eggs at room temperature

1tbsp fine grounded coffee

- I emptied a Nespresso  -

1tsp vanilla extract

1/4tsp of salt

4 pinch baking soda

2 pinch baking powder

Turn on the oven at 375°F

Melt the unsweetened chocolate with 1 cup of chocolate chip and 2tbsp of water 
in a pan at low heat, stir until smooth

In a bowl, mix your butter with the sugar, use an electric beater at high speed for 2 minutes, set aside

- if your butter is too hard, put it in a mold a fewminutes in the pre-heating oven to soften ir -

Beat the eggs with the coffee with the eletric beater for 1 minute,
stir them in the previous batter, and stir in the melted chocolate.
Then pour in the flour, baking soda and bowder, stir until smooth and homogeneous
Then, add the half cup of chocolate chips left.


On a cooking tray, do golf-ball size heap with the batter, spaced of 2 inch,
Flatten them a little

Bake 10 to 12 minutes, the top must be a bit cracked !

hi ho ! hi ho ! let's find chocolate chip !

My carrot Cake - Happy Birthday to me !

I've worked a lot on this one, usually carrot cakes are a bit too heavy/buttery for me, 

I can't eat it all without filling a bit sick.

My recipe contains no butter and no oil and a lot less flour than the usual one, it's a lighter cake,

with a surprisingly smooth texture, a bith firmer than the usual one

 but with as much or more flavour in it.

This recipe is one of my favourite, that's why I did it for my birthday :)

We went on a little road trip for Thanksgiving, we brought it with us :)

- Me : My cake is so cute -

- Him : My Poupoule is so cute (Poupoule is my nickname) -

For 8 to 10 people

   You will need :   

for the cake

4 oz of brown sugar (120gr)

2/3 cup of flour (80gr) de farine

1tsp of baking powder

-5gr-

1/2 cup + 2 tbsp of almond meal, grounded almonds (80gr)

4 eggs

10.5 oz of carrots (300gr)

- 5 to 6 carrots -

3 tbsp of lemon juice

1/2 lemon zest, grated

1.5 oz of coarsely grounded nuts (40gr) 

3tsp of ground ginger

3tsp of cinnamon

1/2 tsp of salt

for the icing

3.5 oz of creamcheese (100gr) 

2tsp of lemon juice

1/2 lemon zest, grated

4 to 5 tbsp of confectionner's sugar (powdered)

Prepare the carrots

Rinse, peel and grate the carrots

put them in a bowl with lemon juice, salt and half of the sugar

- 1.7 oz / 50gr  of sugar -

Put in in the fridge for at least 1 hour

Prepare the nuts

Blend them coarsely and add a hint of salt in it, set aside

turn the oven on at 420°F

Prepare the cake

Beat the eggs with what is left of sugar in a bowl for at least 3 minutes, it has to be foamy

In another bowl, stir the flour and the baking powder, make a well in it and stir in the eggs+sugar mix

Stir by hand until smooth and stir in the almond powder, the spices and the lemon zest

Stir for at least 2 more minutes, the dough has to be soft

Finally, stir in the carrots and the nuts

- 1st: eggs and sugar, 2nd: added flour and almond, 3rd: added nuts and spices -

Pour everything to fill your buttered mold at 3/4 

Cook approximatively 45 minutes

Check the cooking by inserting a smooth and clean knife in the middle, if it gets out clean, it's cooked!

Creamcheese and lemon icing 

Soften the creamcheese with your electric beater at low speed for 2 minutes,

add in the lemon juice and the zest, keep mixing at low speed

Add in the sugar, spoon by spoon, you can go up at medium speed,

it must be thick enough, but soften enough to be spread

Keep it in the fridge until use !

Bon appetite :3

Pear cake with honey and lemon

      

Original and with a lot of flavours, this recipe is Camille Lesecq's recipe, pastry Chef of Le meurice, Paris. I changed a few things in the recipe, because I've baked it a few times already.

- did I get fat ? -

Really soft and tender, it can be made in a meat loaf pan,

it has always been a huge success :)

For 6 people

   You will need :   

Pears

2 pears

3.5 oz of honey (100g)

- pine honey -

2.8 oz of butter (80gr)

- Camille Lesecq puts 3.5 oz -

the dough

4.2 oz of white sugar (120gr)

1.8 oz of butter (50gr)

4.4 oz of flour (125gr)

1.7 fl oz of milk (5cL)

1.7 fl oz of olive oil (5cL)

- Camille Lesecq puts 2.5 fl oz -

- you can use vegetal oil if you prefer -

2 eggs

1 grated lemon zest

3tbsp of lemon juice

0.2 oz of baking powder (6gr)

Prepare the pears

In a casserole, melt the butter with the honey on low heat.

Rinse, peal the pears and remove the heart with the seeds. Cut them in dice of 1/2 inch

- Camille Lesecq cuts them in 8, not in dice -

Add them to the melted butter, cover and let it cook at medium heat for 20 minutes.

Let it cool down in the butter sauce. They must be translucid. Set aside.

Turn the oven on at 375°F

Prepare the cake

Beat the sugar with the egss and the lemon zest for at least 3 minutes,

it must be light and foamy

Pour the milk slowly while stirring

Integrate the flour and the baking powder with a wooden spoon 

by doing small circular movements from the center

Finally, stir the lemon juice, the melted butter and the oil

By hand, stir it all together 2 to 3 minutes. Set Aside

Dry of the pears with a colander, use a clean absorbent paper to remove delicatly the excedient butter

In a buttered pan (you can use the butter +honey sauce to butter it), pour 2/3 of the dough, them place the pears carefully with a spoon, and pour the rest of the dough on top of them

- Camille Lesecq puts the pears aside the cake, but I like it better in it -

Put in the oven for 35 to 50 minutes, depending on your mold

Check the cooking by inserting a clean and smooth knife in the middle of the cake, 

it must come out clean

Thanks to Camille for this recipe, the first time I made it, I followed all the instructions, it had 300 gr of butter in it (12oz of butter...)

It's a bit too much butter for me :D

"Cake aux poires juste confites" is the exact name of that cake